2 h 33 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 2 h 33 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
At an English country house, a man's bright future brings his mother face to face with a painful past.
In Oscar Wilde’s four-act comedy A Woman of No Importance, the guests at Hunstanton Chase trade jokes and judgments. Gerald Arbuthnot, an eager young bank clerk, receives a dazzling offer: Lord Illingworth wants him as his secretary abroad. For Gerald, it promises a new life. For his quiet mother, Mrs. Arbuthnot, the offer brings her guarded past dangerously close.
Around them, polite conversation becomes a contest over virtue, class, and reputation. Hester Worsley, a serious young American, challenges the English guests with plain speaking. Mrs. Allonby matches Lord Illingworth’s wit, while Lady Hunstanton keeps the party talking. Beneath the laughter, Wilde asks why society punishes women for conduct it readily excuses in men—and what those judgments cost a family.
What you’ll discover
- Wit with a sting Enjoy sharp exchanges that expose the cruelty hiding beneath good manners and elegant talk.
- A mother's guarded dignity Meet Mrs. Arbuthnot, whose love for Gerald shapes her fierce protection of a painful secret.
- An offer with stakes Follow Gerald’s excitement as a coveted position draws his family toward an uneasy confrontation.
- Plain speech meets polish Watch Hester Worsley challenge a social world that prizes charm and judges others harshly.
- Morality under the spotlight Look beyond the party’s laughter to the unequal rules governing women’s and men’s reputations.
Who will love it
Para quienes disfrutan de diálogos ágiles y brillantes, comedias mordaces sobre las costumbres y el dinero, e historias donde un salón refinado esconde sentimientos verdaderos.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Un jardín donde los buenos modales esconden conflictos
- Lord Illingworth domina la conversación y plantea una apuesta
- Una carta sobre la mesa despierta un viejo recuerdo
- El salón y el discurso de Hester sobre la sociedad inglesa
- La llegada de la señora Arbuthnot revela un pasado compartido
- Illingworth enseña a Gerald el arte de vivir
- Por qué se juzga de forma distinta a mujeres y hombres
- Madres, hijos y la construcción de la obra
Who’s who
- Lord IllingworthUn lord ingenioso, recién titulado, que deslumbra a los invitados con epigramas y ofrece a Gerald un puesto a su lado.
- Señora ArbuthnotLa madre de Gerald, discreta y entregada, que vive apartada de la sociedad y teme profundamente al hombre que se ha interesado por su hijo.
- Gerald ArbuthnotUn joven y entusiasta empleado de banco que sueña con una carrera más prometedora y espera conquistar a la mujer que ama.
- Hester WorsleyUna joven heredera estadounidense de estrictos principios morales que no teme decirle a la sociedad inglesa lo que piensa de ella.
- Señora AllonbyUna invitada casada y de lengua ágil que iguala el ingenio de lord Illingworth y hace con él una apuesta atrevida.
- Lady HunstantonLa anfitriona amable y olvidadiza de Hunstanton Chase, que adora a sus invitados y cuenta cada historia con algún pequeño error.
- Lady Caroline PontefractUna severa dama de sociedad que juzga a todo el mundo y mantiene a su 4.º marido, sir John, envuelto en bufandas.
- Señor KelvilUn parlamentario que predica sobre la pureza y la vida doméstica y se toma todas las bromas al pie de la letra.
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A Woman of No Importance in 25 languages, side by side, paragraph by paragraph, once the book texts are online: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
A Woman of No Importance
by Oscar Wilde · 1894
En una casa de campo inglesa, la oferta de un lord a un joven empleado de banco lo enfrenta a una mujer de su pasado.
Medium levelUnder 2 hours to read2 languages
Aprende un idioma con clásicos de nivel mediumEspañolFrancésAlemánItalianoJaponésPortuguésInglésCómo medimos los niveles
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In short
What happens when one careless sentence about a woman of no importance sets a buried past in motion? Oscar Wilde builds his play on that question.
A Woman of No Importance de un vistazo
- Tiempo de lectura
- Unas 1 h 30 min1 h 10 min fast, 1 h 45 min slow
- Duración
- 21.100 palabras12 chapters
- Páginas
- 63 páginas94 in large print
- Nivel en la biblioteca
- Mediano longer sentences, everyday words
- Primera publicación
- 1894by Oscar Wilde
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). Cuánto se tarda en leer los clásicos · Actualizado
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Un jardín donde los buenos modales esconden conflictos
La obra comienza en el jardín de Hunstanton Chase, donde la conversación sustituye a la acción. Lady Caroline Pontefract pregunta a Hester Worsley, una joven estadounidense, si en su país hay campo. Hester responde que algunos estados son tan grandes como Francia e Inglaterra juntas. Lady Caroline comenta que debe de haber muchas corrientes de aire.
La escena ofrece una pequeña comedia del control. Lady Caroline dirige la vida de su esposo, sir John: debe ponerse la bufanda y los cubrezapatos, y sentarse más resguardado.
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También en Oscar Wilde Book Set: Five Works
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¿Qué edición es la adecuada para mí?
- 15-minute summary
- Las ideas clave de todo el libro en unos 14 minutos. Una buena introducción o un repaso.
Detalles
- First published
- 1894
- Language
- Español
- Reading time
- 1 h 40 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cita esta edición
Wilde, Oscar. A Woman of No Importance. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/a-woman-of-no-importance.
Wilde, O. (2026). A woman of no importance. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/a-woman-of-no-importance (Original work published 1894)
Wilde, Oscar. A Woman of No Importance. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/a-woman-of-no-importance.
@book{wilde2026woman,
author = {Wilde, Oscar},
title = {A Woman of No Importance},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/a-woman-of-no-importance},
note = {First published 1894}
}
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¿De qué trata Una mujer sin importancia?
Es una comedia de costumbres en 4 actos ambientada en una casa de campo. Un lord encantador ofrece trabajo a un joven empleado, y empieza a salir a la luz una historia oculta con la madre del joven, que pone a prueba el trato que la sociedad da a hombres y mujeres.
¿Quién es la mujer sin importancia?
Lord Illingworth pronuncia la frase por primera vez cuando la letra de una carta le recuerda a una mujer que conoció. Se refiere a una mujer de su pasado, y la obra pregunta hasta qué punto esa descripción se ajusta realmente a ella.
¿Cuándo se escribió Una mujer sin importancia y está basada en una historia real?
Wilde la escribió a principios de la década de 1890 y es una obra de ficción. Utiliza invitados inventados en una casa de campo inventada para comentar hábitos reales de la alta sociedad victoriana.
The author
Oscar Wilde
1854–1900 · Irish playwright and poet
Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) was an Irish poet, playwright, and novelist born in Dublin. He lived in London and later in France, where he died in Paris. He published The Picture of Dorian Gray in 1890. His play The Importance of Being Earnest was first performed in 1895.
More by Oscar Wilde
Ver todos sus librosMore like this
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